Marin Readers' Forum for Feb. 24

Strawberry's furor over its "Priority Development Area" designation recalls the 1960 "Twilight Zone" episode, "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street."

Ringleaders of prejudice and hysteria draw a line straight from "PDA" to the image of trashy apartment buildings packed with low-lifers. Not one brain cell is left for rational thought.

Yet, a wise man once said, "You can run out of brain cells, but you can't hide."

Gridlock makes driving not a privilege but a life sentence. The city of Mill Valley has downgraded rush-hour traffic-flow standards from Level of Service D to F and will install modern bike lanes on both sides of Miller Avenue.

Some perspective:

 21 percent more residents now live in the unincorporated areas than within city limits.

 School district enrollment is up 40 percent since 2005-06; Tamalpais High School's enrollment is up 10 percent.

 Many children's school assignments take them outside their own neighborhoods.

 About 70 percent more mothers of schoolchildren work outside the home than in 1970.

 Marin has 50 percent more vehicles per capita than in 1970.

 1,080 local jobs in Strawberry were filled by workers from elsewhere in 2009.

 Owner-occupied housing units is 39.2 percent of Strawberry's residential stock, with an average household size of 2.42 persons.

 Renter-occupied housing units make up 60.8 percent, with an average household size of 1.81 persons.

My CBS episode synopsis says: "Inexplicable events cause the residents of quiet Maple Street to erupt into rioting. The residents suspect an alien invasion has occurred. If so, where are the alien monsters?"

Elisabeth Thomas-Matej, Mill Valley

Top priority for Gnoss

I learned to fly at Gnoss Field in 1968 and, in fact, still own a hangar there.

Regarding the proposed lengthening of the runway, it is a safety issue for all of us who use it.

Gnoss is well known for its crosswinds that can make takeoffs and landings a real hazard/challenge.

A longer runway lessens the direction/speed of the crosswinds that blow from the west around Mount Burdell.

When the residential area south of the airport was built, many years later, prospective residents were and still are given notice about the location of Gnoss.

However, that area is not part of the flight pattern for departing or landing at Gnoss. Other aircraft, such as sightseers from other areas, police patrol, traffic reporting, emergency helicopters can fly over any time.

Joyce Wells, Larkspur

Index wage laws

The protesters at the Larkspur ferry terminal supporting the Obama Administration's executive action raising the minimum wage fail to recognize that a permanent solution to the issue is available.

If the minimum wage was raised, and then simply indexed to inflation, like municipal union retirement plans or Social Security Cost of Living Adjustments, then the wage would rise annually and the issue would be resolved once and for all.

But advocates for raising the minimum wage never argue for this solution. Why?

Perhaps because they aren't really interested in solving this issue, but are instead using this issue as a way to gain political advantage and power at the expense of the low-wage workers they claim to be so sympathetic towards.

Ever notice they seem to make this an issue only during election years?